Japan earthquakes

M5.8 earthquake 77 km E of Iwaki, Japan

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck 77 km E of Iwaki, Japan on Sun, Dec 4, 1938, 3:12 PM JST (06:12 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 142 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan. This one was a foreshock.

Iwaki forecastMore in Japan

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
5.8 (Mw, moment), moderate
Magnitude from
ISC-GEM global catalog
Local time
UTC
1938-12-04 06:12:05 UTC
Depth
25.0 km (15.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.084° N, 141.753° E
Region
Japan
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty
±0.20
Depth from
From location

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.8 and up: 5 in the 60 days after this one and 29 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 5.859 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32077 days ago · 25 km deep · 19 km away
  2. 5.9142 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32073 days ago · 25 km deep · 74 km away
  3. 5.786 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32070 days ago · 25 km deep · 41 km away
  4. 5.859 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32060 days ago · 25 km deep · 18 km away
  5. 5.733 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32028 days ago · 35 km deep · 44 km away

Before

  1. 6.5100 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32079 days ago · 25 km deep · 35 km away
  2. 7.099 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32083 days ago · 30 km deep · 23 km away
  3. 6.5127 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32083 days ago · 25 km deep · 63 km away
  4. 5.8off the east coast of Honshu, Japan · 32086 days ago · 25 km deep · 79 km away
  5. 5.894 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32087 days ago · 25 km deep · 17 km away
  6. 6.392 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32087 days ago · 25 km deep · 16 km away
  7. 5.7136 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32089 days ago · 25 km deep · 63 km away
  8. 5.6151 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32090 days ago · 25 km deep · 82 km away
  9. 5.7127 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32090 days ago · 25 km deep · 58 km away
  10. 6.0149 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32091 days ago · 25 km deep · 84 km away
  11. 6.8155 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32091 days ago · 25 km deep · 86 km away
  12. 6.271 km ESE of Namie, Japan · 32096 days ago · 25 km deep · 28 km away
  13. 6.2165 km ESE of Namie, Japan · 32099 days ago · 25 km deep · 90 km away
  14. 5.8129 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32103 days ago · 25 km deep · 62 km away
  15. 5.6132 km E of Namie, Japan · 32104 days ago · 25 km deep · 67 km away
  16. 6.5156 km ESE of Iwaki, Japan · 32105 days ago · 30 km deep · 86 km away
  17. 6.5127 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32106 days ago · 25 km deep · 51 km away
  18. 6.364 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32106 days ago · 25 km deep · 13 km away
  19. 6.8130 km ESE of Namie, Japan · 32106 days ago · 30 km deep · 54 km away
  20. 6.2119 km E of Iwaki, Japan · 32106 days ago · 25 km deep · 43 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event iscgem902847. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 6:59 PM UTC.